serpentine

/ˈsɜː.pənˌtaɪn/

//ˈsɜː.pənˌtaɪn// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"serpentine" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“serpentine” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,959. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,959
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of snakes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-serpentine · serpentine · English

serpentine · rank #26,959 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,959
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH semis

Nearest frequency peer: semis (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “serpentine”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “serpentine” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for serpentine
PropertyValue
Headwordserpentine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsɜː.pənˌtaɪn/
Letters10
Frequency rank#26,959
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “serpentine”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).serpentinelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “semis” (#26,958), “scrappy” (#26,957), “shuffling” (#26,961). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “serpentine” is #26,959. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around serpentine (IPA /ˈsɜː.pənˌtaɪn/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #26,959 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for serpentine, with forms such as "esrpentine", "seprentine", and "serepntine". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English serpentine, from Old French serpentin, from Latin serpentīnus, from serpēns (“serpent”), equivalent to serpent + -ine. The correct English form is serpentine, spelled S-E-R-P-E-N-T-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of snakes.
  2. 2
    Of, or having attributes associated with, the serpent referred to in the book of Genesis in the Bible, such as craftiness or deceitfulness.
  3. 3
    Having the form or shape of a snake.
  4. 4
    Curving in alternate directions; sinuous.
  5. 5
    Pertaining to the serpentine subgroup of minerals.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how serpentine appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The wily criminal was known for his serpentine behavior.
  2. There are serpentine species of lizards which do not have legs.

Etymology

From Middle English serpentine, from Old French serpentin, from Latin serpentīnus, from serpēns (“serpent”), equivalent to serpent + -ine.

This word in other languages

serpentino(Español)serpentin(Français)Schlangen-(Deutsch)viperino(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • esrpentine
  • seprentine
  • serepntine
  • serpenitne
  • serpenntine
  • serpentien
  • serpentinne
  • serpentnie
  • serpenttine
  • serpetnine
  • serpnetine
  • serppentine
  • serrpentine
  • srepentine
  • sserpentine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of serpentine - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

esrpentine2seprentine2serepntine2serpenitne2serpenntine1serpentien2serpentinne1serpentnie2
Edit distance from "serpentine"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "serpentine"?
"serpentine" is spelled S-E-R-P-E-N-T-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɜː.pənˌtaɪn/.
What does "serpentine" mean?
As an adjective, "serpentine" means: Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of snakes.
What are common misspellings of "serpentine"?
Common misspellings include "esrpentine", "seprentine", "serepntine", "serpenitne", "serpenntine". The correct spelling is "serpentine".
How do you pronounce "serpentine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "serpentine" is /ˈsɜː.pənˌtaɪn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "serpentine"?
From Middle English serpentine, from Old French serpentin, from Latin serpentīnus, from serpēns (“serpent”), equivalent to serpent + -ine. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "serpentine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Strickland#26,978surgically#26,987sympathize#26,990tabernacle#26,991

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

suffocating15 variantsnonviolent15 variantsxenophobic15 variantsaquaculture15 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list